One Shard
by Saoirse Driscoll
Summary: Even after the battle is lost, she holds onto hope, all for the one shard. Eventual Kagome/Sesshoumaru
1. Chapter 1

:~: **One Shard** :~:

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Warnings: CHARACTER DEATH. Dark, reference to torture.

-|-^-|-

He would come to her in a fog of delirium, asking one question, only ever one question.

She turned away.

"Where is it? Where is it?" His voice would change in pitch and volume, going through rage to frustration, to something neither of them could place. She would remain silent as he demanded, silent as he threatened her, gritting her teeth as he beat her for her insolence.

Still, she turned away, never looking at his face.

-|-^-|-

It was dark now, the sun setting behind the bars of her jail moments before. He would be coming soon. He favoured the night.

The feeble rays of the waning moon tried to raise her spirits, but in the silvery light she could only see his silver hair, so real that she could reach out and touch – no. It was long past that time now.

The rusty bolt screeched as the door was opened, the object of her repulsion less than an arms length away from her unclothed pale body. She raised her chocolate eyes to look at the figure in front of her, and she noted the frustration in his aura.

"Where is it wench?" He hissed, crimson eyes narrowed, jaw clenched.

She gave him a smile that would make Mona Lisa envious.

With a growl, he raised a clawed hand. Her blood would flow for this insult.

The cycle was the same, days on end. He would come to her, demanding information, and each time, she would remain silent. She knew it put him on edge, made him uncomfortable. She relished the power.

Sometimes he plagued her with visions of days past, carefree smiles, happy glances, the offer of freedom from this quest forever, if only they could find the very last piece.

Somehow, she saw through him each time.

It left her broken.

-|-^-|-

He didn't care about her. But he fed her – even when she refused to eat. He had her bathed. Forced his incarnations to watch her, see if she would crack. Within the tiny priestess was so much power, the key to his final victory, the very last piece to the puzzle. And he loathed her for holding it from him. She single-handedly held him from his destiny. How he loathed her.

-|-^-|-

She woke; sore, bruised, beaten, bloody, but alive. She looked to the thin sliver of daylight that came through the bars of the window, a ray of sun mocking her in it's freedom. Here there was no passage of time, no chance for rescue – yet she had hope. Hope resting in her one chance, her one salvation. Ironic.

-|-^-|-

Weary, he came again. "Why do you play these games miko?"

She would not speak.

"We both know that there is no one to rescue you." He continued, words twisting like a dagger in her heart. "No one will come for you now, yet you keep hoping Kagome."

Silence.

"Why is that?" He looked at her expectantly, but when she refused to speak, he sighed. "I offer you a quick end. Why do you put off the inevitable?"

She looked at him, really looked at him, and saw the dark hair, the beautiful features, the firm physique. Her eyes delved into the very black pits of his soul, and for once, he felt unease. She licked her lips, voice coming out hoarse. "Because Naraku, you do not have that one piece. Nor will you ever."

He repressed a growl, continuing with the facade. "I grow closer to it each day."

She propped herself up with an elbow, giving him an even look. "If you were, you would have no need of me."

Within seconds his hand was at her throat. "You **will** tell me the location of the final Shikon shard priestess."

She had the audacity to laugh.

-|-^-|-

In the watery dawn light, Kagome sprang to her feet, looking up at the tiny window. She could _feel_ it. He was here.

She gulped, wondering what this could mean.

Looking at the unyielding door, she squared her shoulders and sat down on the palate. There was nothing to do but wait.

-|-^-|-

Muffled noises from above gave the priestess no indication of what was really happening. She felt the very foundations of the fortress shake, and she knew fear. Then the silence descended again, all consuming, stifling in its enormity. At the edges of her powers, she felt something growing to massive proportions, building to a climax and releasing more demonic power than she ever thought possible. She shuddered with the building as she heard the cracks in the ceiling, loose stone falling towards her, and she closed her eyes for the roof to cave in.

-|-^-|-

The sweet song of a bird interrupted her terror, making her open her firmly shut eyes to see daylight flickering under the door, coming through the larger cracks in the ceiling. She gasped as the door swung open of its own accord, setting her free.

Climbing over rubble, she felt the cool touch of the wind once more, and nearly wept for joy. The sharp rocks were cutting her feet, and she nearly fell as she climbed from the crater. The forest around her was pristine, no longer did Naraku's foul miasma cloud the air. And standing in the blood soak grass in what used to be the hanyou's castle was a figured dressed purely in white, silvery hair moving with the breeze. It was so similar and so foreign it cause the ache in her heart to open again.

Within moments he stood beside her. "Come miko." He offered a hand.

She took it, and fell into oblivion.


	2. Chapter 2

:~:**One Shard**:~:

A/N: Standard Disclaimer still applies. Thanks to Jen Konoha for her review.

-|-^-|-

He walked past the guards at the gate, through the courtyard and into his dwelling. His visage emotionless, his features cold and detached, the only thing out of the ordinary was the body of the fallen miko that he held with his single arm. A young voice cried out from below him, and he looked down, his eyes narrowed. The child cowered away, hiding behind his ward. He swept past the pair, feet taking him through the many halls of his home.

He opened a door in the hall, placing the sleeping woman on the futon, and covered her nude form with a blanket. On silent soles, he left, the door clicking shut as he went.

-|-^-|-

Voices interrupted him amidst his paperwork, and he rose to his feet, prepared to reprimand those in the hall. Yet the hall was empty. Perplexed, the stoic lord looked for the source of the noise, and found the door to room where Kagome slept was open, light pooling into the darkened hallway.

He stood in the doorway, looking at the two children who sat on the futon beside the priestess lit by the midday sun.

"Come away. She needs rest."

His ward reluctantly left Kagome's side, but the fox kit remained stubbornly beside the unconscious woman. Sesshoumaru let out a warning growl. "Leave her side."

The kit fervently shook his head, clutching at the woman's arm. "N-no! I won't leave my Mama!"

The taiyoukai sighed, knowing there would be no winning this battle. "Be silent. She needs sleep." He ushered Rin out of the room as he shut the door, leaving the shocked fox kit on the bed.

-|-^-|-

It had been the ultimate betrayal that had led her here, and ironically enough, was what kept her alive. When Kikyo's clay body crumbled into dust before his very eyes, Inu Yasha let out a heart rending cry and charged into battle, uncaring of the fate of the comrades behind him. Unexpectedly let to their own defences, Sango was beset by thousands of slobbering youkai, ripping chunks out of her flesh with their gruesome teeth and knife-like claws. As Miroku struggled to reach the taija, he was literally ripped limb from limb, screaming her name before his head rolled to the ground, detached from the body. Inu Yasha began to transform, and Kagome cried silently while shooting arrow after arrow, only thankful that she had managed to send Shippou off with the final shard a few short moments before. She hoped he'd make it.

Then she was out of arrows, and Naraku was toying with Inu Yasha. The hordes of youkai had been brought down to just a few, and Kagome closed her eyes, drawing out her spiritual powers and praying that this would work. A pink light engulfed her, and then all was black.

-|-^-|-

She woke in pain, groaning at stiff and sore muscles. Looking up, she saw a sheer canopy, like a gossamer wing resting over the bed. A fading slice of the dying sun lay across her, coming from the open window. She smiled as she heard the sound of a bird, the action feeling strange on her face. Beside her, a ball of ginger fluff squirmed, bright eyes looking up at her pale face.

"Mama?" Asked the unsure voice, tears springing to the corner of the eyes. Kagome nodded once, a kindly light to her previously dim eyes. With a wordless cry, Shippou attached himself to her, crying and holding her tightly while the priestess gently pet his head.

-|-^-|-

It was many days before she was allowed out of bed, much to her chagrin. The housekeeper fussed and fretted over the "fragile" miko's health, making Kagome grimace as she was cosseted and treated like some sort of breakable doll. Finally, her stubborn streak got the better of her, and she got out of bed against orders, deciding to explore.

It was early afternoon. Usually Rin or Shippou would be visiting her, having her tell stories or colour with them. Today the fortress seemed empty, quiet, peaceful. Testing out rubbery legs, Kagome crept towards the door, almost afraid to make too much noise in the near silence that blanketed her.

The miko slid open the rice-paper door, bare feet not making a sound against the dark wood of the floor. She looked out into the empty hall, noting the elegantly painted door at the end of the hall. She felt drawn to it, feet moving of their own will until she stood in front of it, jumping back slightly as it abruptly slid open revealing the taiyoukai who rescued her.

"Miko." He turned around and retreated back into the room. She took it as an invitation to follow him, leaving the door open in her wake.

He stood by the window, looking out over a garden where Rin and Shippou played tag like Kagome had taught the fox kit. She came to join the demon lord, eyes tearing up at the nostalgic sight.

"You should not be up." Sesshoumaru broke the silence, voice emotionless.

Kagome looked up at him, head cocked to the side in silent question, not speaking.

He sighed, deciding not to push it. Instead, he watched her out of the corner of his eye, seeing how thin she still was beneath the yukata, how her midnight hair made her skin seem paler, how her smile was not even truly happy. There was an aura of bittersweet melancholy about her, the once bright eyes seemed dimmer, and the joyous nature seemed tamed. He had never consciously noticed it before, never caring to see her as more than a nuisance, or his half-brother's woman. Now he wanted to see her smile again, and he couldn't explain why. For this he cursed his father.

"Thank you, Lord Sesshoumaru." Came a whispered voice to his right, breaking his revere and making him quirk his eyebrow in curiosity. He had not recognized the sound of her voice, so devoid of her usual boisterous nature. It was his turn to look at her in askance, but she wasn't looking at him.

"For looking after my son." She continued, seeming to sense his question, looking at him with eyes glittering with unshed tears. "You – had no obligation, and I thank you for your compassion."

"Hn." He returned to looking out the window. "I did not do it for you."

"It doesn't matter."

Again, Sesshoumaru looked at her from the corner of his eye, perplexed by her change, waiting in silence for her to continue.

"You protected my son, for which I owe you a great debt." She paused, dark eyes looking to the sky before she continued. "I have one more request of you though, before I can repay you."

Something in how she said that made him stop. "What is that priestess?"

"I need to go home."

-|-^-|-

"Mama? Where are you going?"

His piping voice made her pause at the gate, turning her head to look at the small kit. His eyes were watering, he was trying very hard not to cry.

"Come here Shippou." She smiled warmly, kneeling on the ground and holding her arms open. He didn't need further coaxing, he barrelled into her, curling up in her arms. Kagome smiled at him, gently rocking him back and forth. "I need you to stay strong for me. Can you do that Shippou?"

He nodded. "But – where are you going?"

"I have to tell my Mama what happened." Kagome explained softly, gently stroking his head to reassure him. "I won't be gone long. I promise. Stay here with Lord Sesshoumaru."

"You'll be back soon?" Shippou pled, needing to be told again.

"Yes." She let go of him, standing up again in a single fluid movement. Catching sight of the demon lord in one of the many windows, she inclined her head before turning and disappearing into the deep forest.

-|-^-|-

Sesshoumaru's narrowed his eyes as he watched the dark-haired priestess disappear out of his sight. She was now dressed as her kind, waving off the expensive kimonos he had prepared for her. It was perplexing; this woman wanted nothing he could offer but protection of her adoptive kit, a demon. A creature she should have killed, but instead took in and cared for. He shook his head. No, this Kagome was no ordinary human.

He fingering the Shikon no Tama in his pocket, feeling the hollow where the final shard would sit, then abruptly turned from the window.

She was beyond his concern.


	3. Chapter 3

:~: **One Shard** :~:

Disclaimer: Nothing pertaining to InuYasha belongs to me. Heck, I don't even own the manga, or the films.

-|-^-|-

She stood at the lip of the weathered well, staring into the darkened depths. It even looked old here, five hundred years before she was born. It was strange it hadn't rotted away – perhaps the magic was keeping it there?

Kagome sighed, looking up at the cerulean blue of the sky. She felt so very tired.

_Wouldn't it be nicer to just lie down and sleep? To lie down and never have to get up again?_

Wearily, she looked to the well again. She had made a **promise**. That meant something. And she hadn't been lying when she had said that she needed to tell her mother – she just wasn't sure she was ready to talk about it yet. That promise led her here, standing by a decrepit well that never had held any water. She could feel its' magic pulsing around her, stronger than she had felt it in a while.

With a dejected sigh, she let her knees give out and collapsed on the ground. It had been a long trek through the forest to get to this point, and now she wasn't even sure she wanted to go on.

_Okay Kagome, get up. You have to do this – you're not a quitter!_ Her mental pep-talk made her force her body upright, walking the few short paces back to the lip of the well. It was the reminder of the promise that made her take a deep breath and hop over the side, letting the magic encompass her as she travelled through time to some place like home.

-|-^-|-

On the other side, Kagome climbed out of the well, heading into the family home.

Opening the door, she called out into the house. "Mama? Sota? Jii-chan?"

There was no answer. Kagome supposed that her mother had gone shopping, and no one else was home yet. Looking at the clock, she saw that it was too early for Sota to be done school yet. She shrugged and headed up the familiar stairs to what was her room. It was funny: four years of shard hunting, time spent more in the past than in the present, and she no longer thought of this place as her home. Grabbing a towel from the hall closet, she stepped into the bathroom and out of her clothes, making sure to close and lock the door behind her. Turning her face up to the warm cascade, she didn't notice her salt-water tears mixing in with the clean water pouring down her face.

-|-^-|-

Refreshed, Kagome dressed herself again in the clothes that Sesshoumaru had given her and headed back downstairs to see if anyone had come back. The house was still empty, so she busied herself in the kitchen, making herself a cup of tea. That's where her mother found her, sitting at the table, drinking from a small cup.

"Kagome?" Somehow Mayu Higurashi knew something was not right with her daughter, even before she turned to look at her mother. "What's happened?"

Kagome put down the half empty cup. She sat silently, staring at the table as she tried out different sentences in her head. The words kept getting stuck at the back of her throat, catching before they could make it out of her mouth.

"Is everything alright?"

"No Mama." She finally admitted, unable to vocalize what she really wanted to say. "But the jewel is completed. We're done."

"That's good, right?"

Kagome didn't know what to say, so she took a drink of the rapidly cooling tea before continuing. "I came back to tell you…" She stopped, breaking eye contact with her mother, unsure of how to put this gently. "I might not be coming back after this." Dark brown eyes full of worry glanced to her mother, then back down to the tea in the cup. "I might be trapped in the past."

Wordlessly, Mrs. Hirgurashi nodded, placing a comforting hand on her troubled daughter's shoulder. If Kagome had turned to look, there was support and compassion offered for her, but she did not turn around.

"I have to go Mama. I love you. Tell Sota and Jii-chan for me please." With the ruffle of fabric, Kagome had left, a gentle touch to her mother's arm before the kitchen was empty. Mayu covered her mouth with her hand, finally letting the grief come through – not just for herself, but for her distraught daughter. Something terrible had happened, so awful that her beautiful, happy child had turned into a solemn and despondent creature, unable to show affection, not even to her mother. Mayu heard that door to the well-house close, not daring to look herself. She sat down on the chair, hanging her head, trying not to cry as the torrent of emotion raged through her body. This might have been the last time she saw her daughter.

-|-^-|-

Jumping through the well, Kagome felt the heavy agony settling over her, her stomach churning with her feelings of guilt. That had been no way to say goodbye to her mother – she deserved an explanation at the very least, especially with how much of this insanity she had put up with. Mrs. Higurashi had let her daughter give up on her school life, give up on the possibility of a future, because of a duty that sent her traipsing five hundred years into the past. She never once complained; always was supportive and understanding.

But Kagome couldn't explain, not yet. She hadn't spoken of it to anyone, and she didn't know why.

Looking up at the mid-afternoon sky, she squared her shoulders and started climbing. Though she had avoided Edo on her way to the well, she was going to have to tell Kaede what had become of InuYasha and her friends during the final battle. The poor woman would likely worry herself to death if she didn't.

Pulling herself over the lip of the well, Kagome heard muffled voices drawing closer. Reaching behind her for her bow, she inwardly groaned when she found it wasn't there – she had left it behind in the bathroom when she had showered. Berating herself, she looked around for something she could use to defend herself, but stood frozen in place as she started to recognize the voices, unable to believe what she was hearing. They were both very very familiar.

There was a pause in the conversation, then loud crashing through the underbush. Kagome felt her heart start beating frantically, and forced herself to remain calm as the red blur appeared in front of her, amber eyes suspicious, strands of silver hair blowing in the breeze while two pointed dog ears lay flat against his head.

Kagome was left slack jawed, feeling sick to her stomach with the shock.

"Hold up InuYasha-" A female voice called, and moments later Kagome was face to face with… herself. Dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, the young woman looked exactly like Kagome used to look, before the final battle. The Kagome dressed as a priestess just blinked, unable to process what was happening.

"Who are you?!" InuYasha barked angrily, refocusing the priestess garbed as a miko.

"Higurashi Kagome." She replied without thinking.

"You can't be Higurashi Kagome. **I'm** Higurashi Kagome." Refuted the woman dressed casually.

"I'd very much rather not to be Higurashi Kagome." The priestess replied, melancholy lacing her bitter words. She reached into her robe and pulled out a shard of the Shikon no Tama. "Unfortunately, this is proof."

"Hey!" InuYasha protested as the Kagome in the t-shirt pulled out her necklace – a small vial holding bright pink shards.

"One of the shards is missing!" She panicked, looking to her sword-wielding compatriot.

"I don't know what sort of game you're playing, but you're going to give over that shard or I'll hafta take it from you!"

The priestess looked at the hanyou incredulously.

"I'm the Shikon Miko, you can't have my shard!"

"InuYasha, we should take her back to Edo, maybe Kaede can figure out what's going on." The woman in the t-shirt suggested before InuYasha could start slicing off body-parts.

"What?! You've got to be kidding me! She could be a puppet of Naraku or something!"

The priestess looked between the two of them, still not believing the situation entirely herself. "I don't have a weapon." She pointed out helpfully.

"See, she doesn't even have a weapon."

"That's not the issue!" InuYasha raged.

"InuYasha." The tone made the hanyou cringe. "She's coming back to Edo with us." Kagome turned on her heel and marched off, giant yellow backpack barely slowing her angry progress. The priestess gave a small smile and followed after the retreating woman. _I'm going to wake up in a few minutes at the bottom of the well because clumsy me slipped and hit my head. None of this is real. All I'm going to have at the end of this is a real bad headache._ The thought made her sad, but it was all she had to convince herself that she wasn't totally loosing her mind.

-|-^-|-

"Kaede?" Kagome with the yellow monstrosity of a backpack had reached the village, the priestess in tow. InuYasha brought up the rear, sending dirty looks to the strange woman who looked exactly like Kagome. As if the similarity to Kikyo wasn't enough, now there were two Kagomes. He growled, making the priestess look back at him. She shook her head, and followed Kagome.

Kaede heard the time-travelling miko and had come out of her hut to see the most unusual sight. "Kami, what is this?"

"We were hoping you could tell us." Kagome said as she pulled off her backpack, a cloud of dust drifting up as it landed heavily on the ground.

Kaede circled the priestess, making thoughtful noises and prodding the woman, who pulled away, looking at the old miko as if she was insane.

"Kagome? Weren't you leaving?" Both women turned as the taijya came into view holding Kilala, one smiling and the other looking like she was about to faint. The lecherous monk was not far behind, stopping abruptly as he caught sight of the two identical women, Shippou bumping into his leg. "Lady Kagome? What… who is this?"

"She says she's Kagome." InuYasha interjected before anyone else could explain.

The priestess suddenly fell to her knees as if she had been struck, tears forming in her eyes as she shook, head downcast. The crowd of people looked at her in shock, trying to figure out what had caused her collapse.

"Are you alright?" Asked Miroku, moving slightly closer to the distraught woman.

She looked up at him, a bright smile on her face while the tears streamed down her cheeks, nodding jerkily to the monk. She turned her watery eyes to InuYasha's frozen form. "InuYasha?"

He shrank back, something was decidedly not right here.

"Sit boy!"

Everyone's jaw dropped as the looked at the body-shaped crater in the ground where the hanyou once stood, and then their eyes looked at the still sobbing and laughing priestess who knelt on the ground.


End file.
